Quick notes

are different commands to create a note, without having OneNote running.

Through this multiplicity of commands, it should be clear that Microsoft intends to turn OneNote « ubiquitous».

Unfortunately, you may need to understand the specifics behind Quick notes to retrieve them easily. And once again, being clear about UWP Apps and W10 on one hand, and desktop program and their add-in on the other hand will help

1. « Quick Notes » : a section on its own…

When you opened OneNote desktop for the first time, there was only one Notebook, and the sole section was named « Quick Notes ». It was easy to find them !

Later on, once you have created more Notebooks, and changed their order, its not as easy to locate the « Quick Notes » section…

Thus, to find them quickly, the « Quick Notes » ‘shortcut button at the bottom of the navigation pane comes in handy :

You may even have renamed your « Quick notes » section :

In this case, upon creation of a new « Quick Note » using WIN ALT N (or WIN N), OneNote will create a new « Quick Notes » section in your original Notebook. You may end up with quick notes in two different sections !

Fortunately, there is a way to indicate where you intend OneNote to store your « Quick notes » :

2. « Quick notes » : an ubiquitous section !

But things gets complicated if you use OneNote for W10 as well, because it has its own settings.

Assuming you have a Notebook in OneNote for W10 which is not open in OneNote desktop :

The first time you press « Note » in the Notification center, OneNote will suggest to select this Notebook as the destination for your Quick notes, and will create a new « Quick Notes » section : you will end up with 2 « Quick Notes » section !

To summarize, depending on the command you use, a Quick note will go to one or the other section :

But you are not done :

If you also use OneNote on your smartphone, the first time you will create a Quick note on your smartphone, it will prompt you to select a Notebook : its most likely that you will end up creating a third location !

As a conclusion, I strongly suggest you keep a « Quick note » section, with its name unchanged, and that you have it’s Notebook opened on all your devices (tablet, smartphone…) and OneNote versions (for W10, desktop) : you may avoid some troubles !!!

Update 10/6/2017 : Interestingarticle on Supersite Windows. Worth reading, and it gives me some ideas about how improving further my workflow :

open OneNote for W10, Select a Notebook to store your Quick Notes (you can’t select a specific section so it will create a new one named “Quick notes”)

open OneNote desktop, make sure the same Notebook is opened there, and select the “Quick notes” section in Files/Options/Save and Backup/

repeat that on your other computers.

You will end up with the same destination section for all your Quick Notes, whichever version you use, or ways to create a Quick Note you use.

Update 13/6/2017 : this is describedhere, now. Seems we had the same idea, roughly at the same time !!!

Update 04/09/2017 : There is a workaround to have the “Note” button in the Notification area, launching a new note in OneNote desktop. It involves changing the registry. See this article.

Updated 11/11/2017 : after Windows Fall Update removed the “Note” button in the notification area